Below the Fig Tree

A quick update from last week. I wanted to get this up before Thanksgiving but with lots of tests and then the holiday with family and friends I just didn’t have time. The Lymphoma has been diagnosed as Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma. I’ve decided to postpone treatment for a few days (I was suppose to start on Saturday) in order to make sure the diagnosis is accurate. Once we get it confirmed we’ll likely start chemotherapy and finally kicking some cancer butt.

We had our meeting with the Radiation Oncologist today. Learned a lot about the treatment and next steps but we have a long way to go. My test results hadn’t arrived to him yet so I relayed to him that the referring ENT doctor told me I have Lymphoma but not sure if it was Hodgkin or Non-Hodgkin yet. Before I could even finish he said, “Oh, that’s good.”

When they treat Lymphoma they act as if you have another tumor in your body (they will do more tests on me) so treatment starts with chemotherapy and then they follow it with radiation direct to the tumor. I’m going to be waiting a few days for a referral to the Medical Oncologist (they do the chemotherapy). From a rough timeline perspective, the treatment sounds like 2-3 months of chemotherapy and then another 4-6 weeks of radiation. It appears to be pretty brutal with some really unpleasant side effects, the most permanent is reduced saliva in the mouth. But, after today, this cancer feels curable. The process is not going to be fun and we are going to need it all to go well. But this is doable.

On a very positive note, the Radiation Oncologist specializes in radiation treatment above the shoulders and he estimates that he has seen abut 4,000 patients. This guy knows what he is doing and I felt like I was in good hands.

 

A regular sufferer of allergies in California’s Central Valley, when I started having sinus issues this summer I simply turned to Claritin and nasal spray. A couple weeks later it just didn’t seem to be working so I shifted treatment to Sudafed and the neti pot to cope with what I thought for sure was a Summer cold.

About a month in, while traveling, I rolled into an urgent care for an antibiotic that I was sure would take care of the congestion. As a bonus, they also flushed my ear and prescribed drops to help with my hearing. Two weeks later – no luck, my sinuses were still plugged so I went to the local after hours doctor who taught me the proper use of a nasal spray and said if that didn’t work to see my primary care physician.

A day later Shannon texted me the phone number for the Ear Nose and Throat clinic. I called immediately for an appointment with the first available doctor (thankful for our PPO plan). A couple days later I was starting a steroid and another round of antibiotics with a follow up CT Scan and appointment where we discovered a growth in my sinuses.

This was followed by an MRI/MRA to get a better sense of the growth. Two days later when I received a call from the doctor’s office wanting to do outpatient surgery on election day I was a little confused. We weren’t removing what was now being called a “tumor” but doing a biopsy. The good news was that I got to spend election day on drugs and sleeping.

Two days later we found out the tumor is Lymphoma. And so starts my journey with cancer.

Today is my first appointment with the Oncologist where we will learn more about what we are facing and for what I’m sure will be more tests and beginning treatment. I have been overwhelmed by the prayers and offers to help. Keeping everyone up-to-date has been a little difficult so I hope this page helps, its a little less personal but its efficient.

A number of years ago, I ran into some professional problems at the same time we were building our new home. I found myself sitting alone BELOW THE FIG TREE in our backyard questioning how we were going to make it. We had lost a number of clients overnight and had no place but a foundation to live. More than a decade later we have enjoyed birthday parties, homecoming celebrations, wedding showers and family dinners under that same fig tree. A number of years ago we lost the neighboring apple tree which caused the fig tree to go through a lot of trauma. We contemplated taking it out and fortunately my always-wise wife had it treated. It might not be at the glory it was a decade ago but it seems a fitting analogy for my blog.

The other day when I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, something triggered in me. I went home to eat my lunch BELOW THE FIG TREE just like I did a decade ago. Whether it is the quiet strength it lends me when I need to be alone, the reminder of family and friends celebrating or the notice that we aren’t perfect the fig tree gave me confidence that everything was going to be ok. God put that fig tree in my backyard for a reason and it has survived for a reason. We didn’t plant it, I’m not too fond of figs, it is messy and attracts rodents but it serves as a symbol for my battle and what I will need on this journey — a quiet destination for reflection and prayer; a symbol of experienced healers who will guide me and most importantly a place for me to draw upon family and friends.

I’m not really sure what I plan on sharing — I’m sure some days will just be technical updates about tests, doctors appointments and treatment and other days might be a little more spiritual. Whatever it is, welcome to my backyard BELOW THE FIG TREE.